Machine for making plaster of paris bandages



April 19, 1938." .1. WEISS 2,114,693

MACHINE FOR MAKING PLASTER OF PARIS BANDAGES Filed Oct. 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- ATTORNEY J. WEISS April 19, 1938.

MACHINE FOR MAKING PLASTER OF PARIS BANDAGES Filed Oct. 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR v ff/awe 14 6/55 m, ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR MAKING PLASTER OF PARIS BANDAGES 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in a device for the manufacture of surgical bandages carrying plaster of Paris or other similar acting composition. fsuch bandages which are usually made up into rolls are used for preparing plaster casts. One way of making the bandages con sists in sending or pulling a strip of bandage through a pile of plaster held in a container. The strip is unwound from. a large roll of crinoline, passed through the plaster and then wound into another roll when loaded with the plaster. One form of a device for accomplishing this is shown in my Patent No. 1,981,607, dated November 20, 1934.

Where a large roll of crinoline is used, the stripof bandage is cut off from the roll when the required length has been run through the plaster. For certain purposes, a short length, say 2 yards is required for the loaded bandage, and for others a longer length, say yards, is preferable. It is an object of my present invention to provide a device for making plaster of Paris bandages, which device has means for indicating the length of loaded bandage wound up in the finished roll.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon further study of the description and drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a, plan view of my device, no plaster being in the receptacle.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device, as in Fig. 1, with part of the sidewall broken away and a pile of plaster shown in the receptacle.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device, looking along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the indicating mechanism shown by itself, a portion only of the supporting arm being shown.

Fig. 5 is a section through the indicating mechanism taken along the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a view of the dial shown by itself, and

Fig. 8 is a. View of the window dial by itself.

A number of different types of mechanism may be used for loading the bandage with plaster and winding it into a roll, which mechanism is combined with the mechanism for measuring and indicating the length of bandage passed through the machine and wound into a roll.

The particular mechanism, chosen for the purposes of illustration, for loading the bandage and winding it into a roll, as described herein, is that given in my above mentioned patent.

As described in said patent, the device consists of a box or receptacle 5 containing a pile of plaster 3B. The sidewalls of box 6 are held together by staybolts I. Extending between the sidewalls are guide rods Ill, ll, I2, l3, l4 and I5. The fioor of the box is formed of a curved sheet metal plate I8.

At one end of the machine there is mounted a supporting arm I5, which has spool 24 rotatably mounted upon it. Crank 2% is fixed to spool 24 for rotating it. Fastened to the other end of box 6 is a bracket 38 having a shaft 39 fixedly mounted upon it.

Upon the right staybolt I, right as seen in Fig. 2, is rotatably mounted a sleeve 40 having fixed to it a sheet metal arm ll. The upper end of arm H is flattened out at t2 where it is fastened by welding to the rear face of casing 45 of the indicating mechanism. A stop sleeve 44 is fixedly mounted on staybolt 1 adjacent sleeve iii to prevent axial motion. of the latter. The front face of casing 65 is provided with a window opening 46. Immediately behind said opening is located a transparent sheet 4'! of celluloid or other suitable material which is fixed to the inside of the casing. In. the center of window opening 46, an index line 68, extending radially, is marked on sheet 41. Inward of the frontwall of casing 45 is a window dial 49 fixedly mounted on a sleeve 50 which is attached to knob 5|.

Said sleeve is loosely mounted on shaft 52 which in turn is rotatably mounted in bearing 53 on auxiliary casing 54 at one end and supported at the other in said sleeve and the hub of gear 55. Said sleeve is rotatably and frictionally mounted in the front wall of casing 45 and the hub is rotatably mounted in the rear Wall of said casing. To the rear of window dial 49 is a graduated chart or dial 56 fixedly mounted on the hub of gear 55 which in turn is fixed to shaft 52. Gear 55 meshes with pinion 5'l fixed to shaft 58 which is rotatably mounted in the rear wall of casing 45 and in bearing 59 on auxiliary casing 54. Worm wheel 60 is fixed upon shaft 58 and is engaged by worm 6! fixed to shaft 62. Shaft 62 is rotatably mounted in the right wall (as viewed in Fig. 6) of auxiliary casing 54, and in bearing 63 fixed to the left wall of said casing. Fixed upon the outer end of shaft 63 is a sharp toothed wheel 65.

When not in operation, the measuring mechanism is swung to the left about right hand staybolt 1, as seen in Fig. 2 where it is shown in dot and dash lines on its way to inoperative position.

In operating the device, a roll of crinoline 29 is mounted on shaft 39, the crinoline strip 23 being led from said roll under guide rods iii to IE. Clips 64 hold roll 29 against lateral motion on shaft 39, through plaster 36 to spool 2Q upon which it is wound by means of crank arm 2%. The measuring mechanism is swung about right hand staybolt i so that toothed wheel 65 rests upon crinoline roll 29. As will readily be seen, the rotation of wheel is caused by the rotation of roll 29, and is in accordance with the travel of the crinoline strip 28. Rotation of wheel (55 causes rotation of graduated dial 5% through the train of gearing previously de scribed.

The diameter of wheel is such in relation to the gear atios between the gears of the gear train, that when said wheel causes the rotation of graduated dial 5% the distance between two consecutive graduations in zone 58 on said dial, it corresponds to a motion of 2 yards for a point on the periphery of wheel E5. When dial 5% is caused to rotate the distance between two con secutive graduations in zone 5?, there is a corresponding motion of 3 yards for a point on the .eriphery of wheel 65. In a similar manner the rotation of dial 55 between two consecutive grad nations in zones 68, 69 and it) corresponds to a motion respectively of 4, 5 and 6 yards for a point on the periphery of wheel 65. Zones $6 to i i are concentric.

Window ii in window dial 42! comes opposite zone 65 of graduated dial 56. Similarly windows i2, 13, M and i5 come opposite zones El, 58, 5i? and 7!! respectively.

When it is desired to load a roll of bandage 2 yards in length, knob 5! is turned to bring window ll opposite window it in the front wall of casing 45. This permits the graduations in zone 66 only to be exposed through window 4'6, said graduations being for 2 yard lengths. The front face of window dial 49 is preferably black, so that the light colored face of dial 56 stands out by contrast. With wheel 65 held clear of crinoline roll 29, said wheel is turned by hand to bring a graduation in zone 66 in line with index line 38. Wheel 65 is then placed against roll 29. After fastening the free end of the bandage strip to spool 24, as described in my above mentioned patent, crank 23 is turned until the crinoline has rotated wheel 65 enough to cause dial 56 to bring the next graduation in zone 66 opposite index line 48. The operator may then out off the strip near spool 24 and will thereby have available a plaster of Paris roll of bandage, 2 yards in length.

For a 3 yard roll window 72 is set opposite window 46, and for a 4, 5 or 6 yard roll, window 13, 14 or 15 respectively is set opposite Window 46. In each case when dial 5% has been rotated the distance between two consecutive graduations in the exposed zone, a length of bandage has passed through the machine corresponding in length to the length indicated by said distance for the particular zone.

Other arrangements of the graduations and windows could be used, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

While the claim specifies plaster of Paris, it is to be understood that it is intended to cover other powdered substances which set and harden by hydration and are suitable for bandages.

I claim:

A device for indicating the length of bandage passing through a machine for coating said bandage with plaster of Paris, comprising a part contacting the bandage and rotated in accordance with the passage of the bandage through the machine, a dial having graduations arranged in a plurality of concentric zones, the graduations for each of said zones indicating a predetermined length of bandage passed through the machine, a given circumferential distance along the outermost zone corresponding to less length of bandage passed through the machine than said distance in the next succeeding inner zone, said length being successively less for each succeeding zone toward the center, and index means for indicating the graduations in a predetermined zone, said dial and index means being mounted for relative motion with respect to each other, said relative motion being effected by said part.

JEROME WEISS. 

